After India, US, Pak now admits to 'trust deficit' within its territory

Quetta, June 8(ANI): After conceding that there was a trust deficit between Pakistan and India, Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani has now said that there is a sense of mistrust between the Federal Government and the Baloch people, which he is trying to bridge with 'concrete measures'.

Gilani said the trust deficit could not be addressed overnight, so he wants to restore the confidence of the Baloch people by addressing their issues.

"We believe in practical measures and not mere words. We want to end all the injustices of the past by adopting practical measures," The Daily Times quoted Gilani, as saying.

He further said that 5,000 jobless candidates from Balochistan would get their appointment letters in the next few weeks, and announced that the Federal Government would recruit around 5,400 unemployed people in government departments.

The Prime Minister stressed that the government intends to provide 20,000 jobs to educated youth in Balochistan.

Earlier, the Pakistan Government had called for a "sustained and meaningful" dialogue with India to tackle a trust deficit, which was seen as the main obstacle in ties between the two countries.

"Obviously, there is a mutual trust deficit and we need to build trust between our two countries on solid foundations so that our two countries and our people can live in peace and prosperity," said Abdul Basit, Pakistan Foreign Ministry Spokesman.

"To this end, Pakistan looks forward to a sustained and meaningful engagement with India with a view to free our relations from all disputes and conflicts," he added.

Addressing a press conference in New Delhi, Indian Prime Minster Dr. Manmohan Singh had said that the issue was identified as the core problem when he met Gilani in Thimphu, Bhutan, in April. (ANI)